Wednesday, January 6, 2010

December 2009 subcompact sales: The big winners and losers

December 2009 proved to be a strong month compared to December of '08, with several models showing gains. In fact, next to August's astounding "Cash for Clunkers" sales, December had the most models posting improvements over the previous year.

The Korean makes again dominated the top two spots with the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio posting sales of more than 120% compared to December of last year. Even the Korean-made Chevrolet Aveo posted an impressive 48.8% gain compared to this time last year. Six makes posted positive gains in 12/09. The largest—and only—gain of the year in this segment was the Hyundai Accent, which did 35% better in '09 vs. '08.

The low spots weren't quite as low as some other months, with the exception of the Smart ForTwo, which posted a -63.1% loss for 12/09—the largest decrease of the month. The largest yearly loss was the Scion xD, down 47.6%.

SUBCOMPACT CULTURE DECALS

Subcompact Culture is all about small cars. This includes subcompacts, compacts, micro cars, and more. Heck, even some vehicles that are a bit bigger. From news and reviews to cars shows and project vehicles: Subcompact is the small car blog. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your visit.

Andy LilienthalEditor

Mercedes LilienthalManaging Editor

Scott AraujoEditorial Staff

Spencer Whitney Editorial Staff

Do you have a story idea for Subcompact Culture? Want your car featured? Interested in advertising? You can contact us by clicking here.